Friday, April 28, 2006

Immigrant Tells Immigrants To.... Get Lost!?

I am an immigrant. And proud of it. I came to the United States in 1987, on a visit to New York and Canada around Christmas of that year. Many people at that time told me that it was so rare for a single young male to get a visitor visa, I should not return. Of course, many of those people telling me that were here illegally, and living in apartments in Brooklyn and Queens, 10-12 people piled on top of each other.

I respected them for being hard working people, and trying to make a living, and being so hospitable. But, I found I disturbing that they found nothing wrong with breaking the laws of this land, where they came to make money. I refused their suggestions, and went back before my visa expired.

It was so amazing, almost a matter of fate, that on my return to Pakistan I found papers and scholarship information, that enabled me to literally come back to the United States, legally, and not only attend Columbia University in the heart of New York City, and get an MBA, but also to start a media and technology business here.

A few years later, after fulfilling my requirements, I also legally became a US Citizen. I am proud of my Pakistani heritage, and I am proud of being a Muslim, and I am proud of being an American. And, as I said, I am proud of being an immigrant.

Living in New York, which has such a large population of immigrants, legal and illegal, you would expect me to be pro-immigrant on everything. I find that wrong and foolish.

I am all for legal immigration. I am all for this country, MY country, the United States, being a shining beacon of hope for people around the world. I am all for people around the world, the best, the brightest, the hardest working, the socially responsible, to come here and to contribute to this great nation, its society and improve their lives too.

I am all for American PICKING and CHOOSING the best of the best, that IT needs, that will make OUR society better, who will make OUR future brighter. I want America to have an immigration policy that helps it become even greater, smarter, harder working, more capable, and more prepared for the intensely competitive global marketplace that is upon us.

Instead, we are going the opposite way. Doctors from Pakistan, engineers from India, techies from Russia, nurses from the Philippines, physical therapists from Poland all have to wait for years, if not decades, to be able to come here. So, we make people wait for YEARS even though they can become active, productive, revenue generating, service providing, tax-paying members of society from Day One.

Yet, we turn a blind eye to people who can simply jump over a fence, crawl over a border, with no skills, no education, no desire to learn our language, no plan to pay taxes or enhance our future. On top of that we have to listen to these people march through OUR streets burning OUR flag threatening OUR economy if we do not give them legal status.Not only do we turn a blind eye, we actually COURT these people, we actually pander to them, we actually show them our politicians are afraid of them.

This is not about just criticizing Mexicans or Cubans or any particular group. I cannot stand the way some people seem to think that America has some sort of responsibility to accept every Tom, Dick, Harry, Jose, Amadu, Ali, Kumar, Chang or Yuri who wants to come here.

I cannot accept MY country as being the one that has to foot the bill for everyone who cannot find a job in their home country to head off to the United States, enter it illegally and then go on welfare, become a criminal, turn cities into ghettoes and not even learn the damned language.

So, to all those illegals out there. Listen up. Let’s be clear on one thing.

You ARE here ILLEGALLY. Many of you are stealing jobs from American workers because you will do them at lower wages than Americans can afford to do them and still remain in the middle class. Many of you do not even bother to learn the language, and you give us attitude if we do not speak to you in Spanish, especially in places like Miami.

If you are planning a march to cripple our economy on May 1, we Americans will make sure every Immigration agent is standing there to thank you for making it convenient to arrest and deport you. Get in line, and follow the rules. Then you are welcome here, to live here and live the American dream, as Americans, not parasites.